Happy Tartan Day

I have a strange habit.  Well, I have several, honestly, but the one I'm talking about is that every so often I'll look on the Always True And Honest portion of the Internet for something special to celebrate on whatever day it is.  Most days, it turns out, have been declared the Day Of Something.  Many have several Days Of designations going on.

For example, did you know that February 11 is White Tee Shirt Day?  Yay for White Tee Shirts!!!!  And everybody knows what February 14 is, right?  Yes, you got it!  February 14 is Ferris Wheel Day!

No, I'm not kidding.  Well, I'm mostly sort of not kidding.  There are several web sites that list the dates of the year and what to celebrate on them.  The one my Google keeps drawing me to is http://all-funny.info/real-list-of-national-days.  Since the web site is named "Real List of National Days" then it must be real.  Right?

Or not.  But hey, it's fun. Besides, I have, several times, correlated entries on that list with other sources.  Granted, the other sources are usually equally non-authoritative, but if everybody's saying the same thing, it must be--um, yeah, I can't even type that with a straight face.

But hey, so what if it's a big pile of steaming hogwash?  It gets me something to giggle about, something to post on Facebook and have my Friends react to: "Happy Panic Day!" "Don't you mean Happy Don't Panic Day?"  "No, that's later in the year.  Today is specifically identified as Happy Panic Day."  And many of my Friends, being my friends, will launch right into a strange discussion about the strangeness of a strange day.

See why I called it a strange habit?

Speaking of--in keeping with time-honored tradition on April 6th, Happy Sorry Charlie Day, I suppose.  I looked that up on the Holiday Insights site and found that it's got nothing to do with either Peanuts or Starkist Tuna.  Instead, it's just in reference to the common phrase "Sorry Charlie" used to bring rejection upon someone.

Incidentally, some people argue that the phrase actually did come from Starkist Tuna.  Others argue that it did not.  My own participation in the argument is limited to the fact that I like to eat tuna.

Regardless, to me, this designation sucks.  Who wants to sit around and celebrate the rejections of life?  I certainly do not.

Instead, I turn to my old friend Wikipedia looking for other ideas.

I'm in luck!  April 6 is National Tartan Day, and Wikipedia actually has references to Congressional records of the House Resolution (not a law) to prove it.  President Bush even signed a Declaration on the matter on April 4, 2008.  Because, you know, declaring a day "National Tartan Day" was an important thing to do while the nation was in the midst of a severe economic meltdown.

This, though, I'll celebrate.  I'm part Scottish, in fact, and somewhere over there in that great big pile of personal paperwork I have a genealogy report to prove it.  Plus I have some good friends who are Scottish, thanks in part to the world-wide nature of the Intertubes.  Plus I love Scotch.  And I like tartans, too--well, most of them.  Some are rather ugly, in my own opinion, and if you come at me with a claymore you can be certain your clan's isn't one of them. 

So yes, indeed.  Happy Tartan Day!  Join me in celebration of a great nationality and people, and raise a dram in their name.

- TOSK